Envelop.



OJ B. STILLWBLL.

ENVELOP. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1907.

4 INVENTOI? ATTORNEYS I .ToaZZ whom it may mean;-

Beitknownthat 1, Career: BATTEY STILL- 7 Fig.2 is a view of an envelop having the top' entrain {snares rarnnronricia ctAunneArrnY sritLWELL; or r ic soNvIL'LE, FLORIDA.

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, WELL, acitizenofthe United States, and a residento'f Jacksonville, in the county of '5, Duval and State of Florida, have invented a new and" lmproyed Envelo of which the followingis-a fu'll,.clear, an. exact description; P w

This invention relates to certain improvements in "envelope, and more particularly to a construction adapted to facilitate the opening of the envelop after it has been scaled.

The envelop is so constructed as to present a' tab by means of which an opening may be torn in the envelop sufficiently large to permit the ready insertion of the finger; a lead V pencil, or the like, in opening up the envelop along one edge. a

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings, forming a part'of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which Figure l is a view of an envelop blank constructed in accordance with my invention;

flap thereof open ready for use; Fig. 3 is a view of the envelop closed .and sealed;and Fi 4 is a transverse section through the enve op and alon the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

My improve envelop may be inadelof any form desired and of'any suitable material. The envelop illustrated is of the form commonly use and is provided with the customary rectangular body 10 forming the front of the envelop, end flaps 11, a bottom flap 12, and a top flap 13. The end flaps-are no different from those employed in ordinary en- 'velops, and the bottom flap l2 differs only in that it is provided with a tab 14 integral therewith and extending therefrom ,at the apex of the fla The tab may be of any width desired, but is preferably from onehalf inch to an inch wide, so that it may be readily grasped between the thumb and finger in opening the envelop. The tab intermediate its ends is preferably provided with a weakened line 15 on a line of perforations 15, to facilitate the tearing of the tab at the predetermined point. I

The top or upper flap of the envelop may be of the exact form of the top flap of an" ordinary' envelop, but the point thereof is preferably cut away to form a curved recess of the tab. The top ap is preferably inte- Specifi cation of iietters lhatent. v Application rues Iifdvefiiber27, r907. seen No. 404,015. 1 r

16, of a width slightly reater than the width- Patented June 9, 1908.

The outer en s of the weakened lines 18 terminate adjacent the ends of the recess 16, if such recess is proyided.

The lower or bottom flap 12 is gumr'ned along its free edge and across the base of the tab, although the tab itself is 'free from gum or adhesive material The top flap 13 is gummed along its free edge in the usual manher] The envelop is-forrned by the folding in of the end flaps 11 and the gumming to The tab 14 is them of the bottom flap 12. folded back u on itself or back upon the top of the lower'fliip' along the weakened line 15, leaving the envelop ready for use in the form shown in Fig. 2. The envelop is sealedin the usual manner, with the top' flap gummed'to. vthe end flaps 11 and with the portion of the top flap between the lines 18 gummed to the outervsurface of the tab adjacent its extrem ity; The tab is of suflieient length to extend a slight distance beyond the'edge of the up perFiiap when the envelop is sealed, as shown in 1 Inipening the envelopthe end.o'f the tab 14 is raised and serves to tear the upper flap 13 along the lines 18, and itself becomesseparatedfrom the bottom 12 along the line 15. When the tab has been detached and the portion of the upper flap between the lines 18 ias been separatedfrom the end portions of the upper flap, this central portion is entirely removed by tearing along the line 17. The

envelop now presents an opening of a width equal to the distance between the lines 18 and sufficiently large to permit of a cursory inspection of the contents of the envelop an the insertion of the finger or any suitable instrument for opening the envelop without any liability 'of injuring the contents thereof.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire tojsecure by Letters Patent: v

1.- An envelop having a plurality of ila s, one of said flaps having a tab carried there y at its free edge and normally folded back upon the body of the flap, and the other of said flaps adapted to be gummed across said folded tab and having weakened lines we tending inwardly from the free edge thereof and lying upon opposite sides of the tab when the envelop is sealed.

2. An envelop having a flap provided with weakened lines extending inwardly from the free edge thereof, and a tab separate from said flap and adapted to be s'e-\ cured to the portion of the flap between saidlines as the envelop is sealed, said tab eX- tending beyond the edge of the flap and serving as means whereby the portion between the weakened lines may be torn away.

3. .An envelop blank including a body portion oppositely-disposed flaps, one of said flaps havlng a tab separated from the body of the flap by a weakened line and the other of said flaps having two weakened lines extending inwardly from the free edge thereof and spaced apart a distance approximately as great as the width of said tab, and so disposed as to lie upon opposite sides of the tab when the blank 1s fol ed to form an envelop."

In testimony whereof I have signed'my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CLA DE BATTEY STILLWELL.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. Mozo, T. T. WILLIAMS. 

